Patacones
January 3, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F
At the school, students learned to make fried green plantains with the moms of the students.
Rural school visit
January 3, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F
We are visiting a small rural school. Classes are not in session right now but the students are here to greet us.
Finca Luna Nueva
January 3, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
This sustainable farm started in 1994 with exports of ginger and turmeric but it opened to tourism in 2008. There are 150 fruit species here, but this is regenerative farming. Plants are mixed toRead more
Arenal Volcano
January 3, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Finally, a good view of the volcano today in La Fortuna. Added are some pics of the central square.
Stunning flowers
January 2, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 73 °F
I love the flowers and trees here. Check out these beauties. More to come.
Total score
January 2, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 73 °F
We are staying at this cute hotel in La Fortuna. But, the bonus is that it comes with a day pass to use the thermal springs in their sister hotel. So we spent the afternoon bathing in the thermalRead more
Sloth sighting
January 2, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 75 °F
We lucked out and found a sloth today. Took this pic with my super zoom.
Hanging bridges
January 2, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 75 °F
Today we trekked in a fantastic hanging, bridges park. The owners receive ecosystem services payments from the government, and that helps them create an ecotourism activity that is minimally impactingRead more
Lake Arenal
January 2, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
We are taking a shortcut to La Fortuna by way of lake Arenal. The lake is man-made and used to generate hydropower. Until 2012, it was the largest man-made lake in Costa Rica. As we cross, we normallyRead more
Cloud forest
January 1, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 66 °F
The afternoon was spent in the cloud forest—high elevation rain forest. As one would expect, it was dense and green and very wet. This is secondary forest, reforested after the country encouragedRead more
Today’s flavors
January 1, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Todays new flavors are tamarind and guanábano. Some had them the other day but now they have switched to try the other. The white drink is made from a green fruit that is white and fleshyRead more
A few more canopy tour videos
January 1, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Here are a couple more.
Canopy tour videos
January 1, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Here is a sample of videos. I was able to record each student and will send to them.
Canopy tour
January 1, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We completed the original canopy tour …first in the WORLD…and it was a blast. Founded in 1994, it shows some signs of age and there are now newer and bigger. But this one offers some uniqueRead more
Candy making
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
Sobano is a traditional candy made from sugar cane and peanuts. It starts by boiling down sugar cane and the mixing in a wooden bowl. You see the students making it here.
Trapiche
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
This machine is used for making sugar cane juice. Really large ones are pulled by horses, so this is just a small one. The taste is so great.
Horseback riding in the mountains
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
We went on the most beautiful horseback ride through the mountains of Monteverde. We had a few nervous riders, but everyone did great. What a great way to see the landscape.
Santa Elena
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
We are staying in the small village if Santa Elena and it will be home base as we explore Monteverde. The students are happy with their rooms at this funky hostel.
Finally in Monteverde
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
It was a long drive on slow and windy streets but we have made it to Monteverde. This area was founded by Quakers who wanted to avoid the draft. The mountains are incredible and we will see them byRead more
Passing the Pacific
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F
We are en route to Monteverde but we have to pass right next to the Pacific Ocean, which we will play in later. You can almost see the island of San Lucas, which once was a prison (until 1991). Now itRead more
Long days
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
Our days are pretty action-packed here in Costa Rica. I don’t waste any time, and there is not much opportunity for naps. Am I wearing these students out?
Farmer breakfast
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
We went to my friend, Sergio‘s, family farm for a campesino breakfast. This is what the locals would have packed when they went into the farm years ago to work all day. The dishes wrapped in bananaRead more
Bonfire time
December 31, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
We closed out our night with a bonfire and s’mores. Of course, we had to bring the Hershey bars from home, but we enjoy sharing this American tradition with locals.
Cooking competition
December 30, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 64 °F
Students are making part of the dinner for tonight by preparing guacamole and pico de gallo. This is a competition, and we will judge on the basis of taste and presentation. Job well done! We alsoRead more
Tortilla class
December 30, 2022 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 64 °F
Students learned how to make tortillas without a press. It is a challenge to keep them perfectly round, but our teacher was a pro.
























































































































































TravelerIn Panama 🇵🇦 we call it patacones 😊
Melanie MarksSame in Costa Rica.